Lloyd the Great Faces His Fears Yet Again!
by baka-neko-fan
Summary: When Genis is kidnapped without witnesses, Raine and Lloyd are the only ones who know to save him. Slightly AU but not really. Lloyd x Genis in a friendly way. Rated for possible language.
1. Chapter 1

I had a ton of trouble deciding where to put this... (I guess the setting would be between the two games.) I've only played the second game (Dawn of a New World,) but I have seen the anime for the first one. Apparently it's only half of the story though... Well, no, less than that. Halfway through the third episode that one angel (can't remember his name) says: It's been a long journey, Chosen." Yeah, last time I checked, two and a half episodes does NOT equal a long journey, dude. Anyway, I decided to put it here because I'm just awesome like that. (Not really.) Also because it's the only Tales game I've played and because Genis (so far) hasn't had any stories in which he's highlighted! Ridiculous!

This is not meant to be shounen-ai though it may seem that way sometimes. It's more friendship than anything. And we all know how Lloyd gets about his friends.

Disclaimer- I own nothing. If I did, this would totally be a part of the game.

And with that, please enjoy the brainchild of my boredom!

* * *

This was, by no means, the first time Genis had been left home alone. Raine seemed to be leaving the village without him more and more lately, leaving him painfully bored and alone. Lloyd wasn't around, and hadn't been for a while now. According to Dirk, he was off collecting expheres. Colette only came around once in a while... She was usually trying to help others in surrounding villages, so she didn't have much time to just hang out and be a kid. So Genis was alone with Raine, who, to him, wasn't exactly a very fun person to be around. At any rate, on that particular day, he had decided to settle for studying while waiting for his sister to return, as he'd grown rather accustomed to doing. Finally, the sun began to set, and he started to worry about Raine's safety. Deciding he might as well at least try to find her, he put his book down, stood up, and went outside.

The town was more or less quiet with Colette and Lloyd gone, though the peace wasn't exactly what Genis had been longing for. He walked past the village entrance and out into the forest, the cool air settling in around him. The cold didn't bother him too much despite the fact that he was wearing little more than shorts and a t-shirt, but something was making him shiver. Something in the air just didn't feel quite right. "Raine!" He called, eyes scoping the landscape for her. "Raine! You out here? Rai-" Hands covered his mouth from behind, and just as he was about to turn around, another wrapped around his chest, holding him in place.

"You're that little traitor's brother, aren't you?" A male voice asked, right in Genis' ear. Genis refused to respond in any way, though he didn't really understand what was happening. "Well I suppose it doesn't really matter. Either way you obviously know her, so you should be enough leverage. You're coming with us, kid."

Suddenly, they were surrounded, and only one word entered the mind of the young half-elf: Desians! He was sure they'd already been taken care of... But apparently they were coming back. As if reading his mind, one of the members of the group stepped forward, "Do you recognize us, boy? We are the Desians, and we are returning to power. Raine has refused to join us, so now you're going to pay for her mistake."

Genis finally freed his face from the other half-elf's grip, "It's not a mistake! What you do is wrong-" His lips were covered before he could finish his sentence, and the Desian that had spoken previously, obviously the leader of this little gang, took another step forward.

"'Wrong' you say? Oh, do not worry, child, we've given up on humans. The human ranches are now full of elves." He smirked as Genis' eyes widened, "You must have figured it out by now. You're our new test subject. If the power of the exspheres that you produce are powerful, we will begin to use half-elf traitors like yourself and Raine, who refuse to join forces with us." Genis struggled only a moment longer before everything went black.

* * *

"Genis?" Raine called, home at last. She had been going out to the old human ranch more and more often lately. She had already figured out what the Desians were up to, and she was determined to stop it. "Genis, I'm home," She announced, though it was already obvious to her that he was not going to answer. The book he had been reading lie on his bed, which indicated to her that he meant to return soon, so she sat down and waited. After several hours of sitting and waiting for her younger brother, Raine found that she could no longer keep her eyes open and drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, she woke to the front door slamming open and Lloyd Irving's voice yelling, "Genis, I'm back!"

Raine threw a pillow at Lloyd's face and grumbled, "Do you have any idea what time it is? Or how to knock, for that matter?" She asked, a bit more grouchy than usual thanks to her lack of sleep.

"It's ten o'clock," Lloyd replied as-a-matter-of-factly, pausing before asking, "...Where's Genis? He's usually not awake by now on the weekends."

Sitting up, Raine sighed, "I haven't seen him since last night, but I think I know where he might be." In her sleep, the pieces of the puzzle seemed to fall into place.

"Yeah? Where?" Lloyd questioned. His childish desire to see his old friend again was compelling him to act like an immature kid who was waiting for his ice cream. ((A/N: Wow. I can't believe I wrote that. XD Terrible simile!))

"The old human ranch," Raine mumbled, standing, "I've been visiting there a lot recently. The Desians seem to be reviving themselves."

"What?!" Lloyd finally snapped out of his former trance, "How- why?! I thought-"

"I thought we stopped them too," Raine agreed softly.

"...You think Genis joined them, then?" Lloyd asked in disbelief. He didn't want to believe that his old friend would join up with the Desians like that, even though he was a half-elf. Lloyd thought Genis hated them just as much as he did.

"No, Genis wouldn't do that," Raine replied, "He hated the Desians with a passion. I believe they're trying to use him to get to me. I've refused on more than one occasion their offers for me to join them, and this is their retaliation."

A very disgruntled Lloyd glared, his eyes still locked on Raine. He wasn't glaring _at _her per say, he was simply expressing his annoyance. And Raine understood this. "That's a low-blow. Even for them." The dual swordsman spat. "We're going after him, right?" He asked, looking up at Raine.

Hesitantly, Raine nodded. She didn't want to bring Lloyd with her, as she knew it was dangerous... But at the same time, she knew she really couldn't refuse. Even if she were to leave him behind, he would probably end up following anyway. He had always been stubborn like that.

"Let's go then." Lloyd said confidently, turning and leaving the same way he'd come. He was not about to lose anyone dear to him to the Desians again, and Genis was no exception to that rule. Half-elf or not, Lloyd was determined to save Genis.

* * *

I was going to make this a one-shot, but I'm enjoying it too much. I'm madly in love with suspense. Maybe a three-shot, then. Meh, we'll see. Until then, my friends~


	2. Chapter 2

Well, from the sound of things, the first chapter was okay! So here comes the second one, and hopefully it'll be even better!

* * *

Genis awoke to a bloodcurdling scream that sounded like it was coming from right next to him, which it was. He turned his head and saw an elf, not much older than himself, being poked and prodded with a glowing hot branding iron. Wincing as he watched the metal object fall with great force onto the young elf's head, Genis forced himself to tear his eyes away and get a better look at his surroundings. He was in a cage, and was surrounded by several others which were filled with elves being tormented in one way or another. Some, like the boy next to him, were being branded, others were being whipped with whips enhanced by magic, and still others were in boiling hot baths of water. "Hey," The Desian who had obviously been in charge of the elf next to him called to the others, "That half-elf kid's awake."

Genis knew instantly that it was him that they were talking about, and he braced himself for the worst... But nothing ever came. Instead, he heard a smooth voice that he recognized as his attacker's leader, speaking to him. "Now, little boy, we're not going to hurt you..."

Opening his eyes to glare at the Desian, Genis added, "Yet."

Smirking, the Desian said, "Yes, not yet. Tell us where Raine Sage is, and we'll have no reason to hurt you."

With a mental sigh of relief at the knowledge that his sister was still safe, Genis replied, "I'm not going to help you hurt Raine!" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a whip lash out at him, striking him hard across the face. It wasn't the leader that had done it, but rather one of the other Desians, who Genis had seen mercilessly beating an elf just moments before.

"Come, now. We're not your enemy, we're half-elves just like you."

"Desians are my enemy! I can't help that I'm a half-elf, but I'm not a Desian, and I never will be one!" This response earned him another lashing from the whip, which he determined was enhanced with some sort of ice-elemental spell.

"Master Trenton, sir!" A group of armored Desians came running through the steel doors on the wall opposite of Genis. They came to a stop in front of the Desian who Genis now assumed was named Trenton and bowed down on one knee.

"Did I not tell you that I do not want to be bothered while I'm talking to this boy?" Trenton hissed at his men, kicking one of them in the chest, causing him to fall onto his side.

"It's urgent, sir. One of the patrols claims to have seen Raine Sage and Lloyd Irving heading this way!"

"Lloyd?!" Genis couldn't restrain his surprise, though he instantly hated himself for it.

Trenton smirked, glancing back at Genis before returning his gaze to his men. "Very well, engage the outdoor magic sensors and set trap twenty-nine C, as well as thirteen F."

"Sir!" The Desians confirmed in unison before rushing off to complete their new orders.

"W-wait," Genis began, "Don't go after them. I'll work with you instead. I won't complain, I swear!" The thought of Lloyd and Raine being captured by the Desians and forced to bend to their will sickened him. Lloyd was more important, anyway. He had a job to do, and Genis did not. He couldn't let the Desians get to Lloyd, and he wanted to keep his sister safe too, even if that mean selling his soul to the Desians.

Smirking, Trenton replied, "Well it's too late to change your mind now, kid. Raine is the one we want, and since they're clearly so important to you, I'm sure you'll make an excellent lure for them. We'll catch two fish with one worm."

"I won't let you!" Genis yelled defiantly, though he knew there really wasn't much he could do to stop them. He was vastly out-numbered and more or less un-armed. Yes, he had his magic, but it was almost impossible to concentrate with screams coming from all around him and a Desian prepared to strike him with a whip at any moment. Apparently, Trenton was well aware of this, because he didn't look in the least bit afraid.

"We don't need your approval, we just need you to lure Raine and Lloyd to us." With this, the Desian snapped his fingers, and the next thing Genis knew, the door to his cage was open and handcuffs were in place. He glared at his restraints, then at Trenton, who commanded, "Now be a good little boy and bring them to us." With this, he was dragged out of the safety of his cage and through the steel doors he'd seen the guards come bursting through earlier. He was forced with his back against an electrified fence, but he somehow managed to make himself refrain from screaming in agony, for fear that it would only make Lloyd and Raine show up faster. He didn't have to worry about this for long, anyway, as soon enough he had a rolled-up handkerchief tied around his face, serving as a gag. His handcuffs were removed, and he was tied to the fence in six places- his neck, both of his hands, both of his legs, and his chest, completely immobilizing him. They weren't just any ropes, either. They were thin strands of metal that had been wrapped around each other until they formed a thick, heavy rope that, as Genis soon discovered, was an excellent electrical conductor.

"Now, just wait here and watch as we capture your friends." Trenton told Genis, walking past him and back into the building. Genis knew there were other Desians watching him, probably from all angles, just waiting for Lloyd or Raine to come running at him. And they didn't have to wait long.

* * *

As they walked, Raine explained to Lloyd that the Desians were planning to use elves, and perhaps even half-elves, in place of humans for their experimentation, and how that plan had come about. "A Desian named Trenton Pearson stumbled upon old research records that had been left behind when the building was destroyed before the Journey of World Regeneration. Apparently, these documents implied that the magical power that elves and half-elves have may work better with the exspheres. He intends to use this information to bring back the Desian rule and to create more powerful exspheres than the world has ever seen. But he wants _me _to help him because he believes that the fact that I helped to regenerate the world might give me a bit of influence over elven communities. So now they've kidnapped Genis to get me to agree to work with them."

Lloyd glared at nothing in particular, "Why Genis? They could've kidnapped any of your students and gotten the same result, knowing you." He pointed out, knowing full well that Raine would go out of her way to protect her students from harm.

"Yes, that's what I thought, too," Raine agreed, "Which is why I believe that if I refuse to join them, they will use Genis for experimentation to get to me. As I said, they are targeting both elves and half-elves, and because there aren't many half-elves who aren't already Desians..." She let her voice trail off there, glancing over at Lloyd.

"They're going to use him for their experiments?!" Lloyd snapped, turning to look at Raine as he raised his voice, completely enraged. He'd already lost his mother to the Desians thanks to their so-called experiments, and he didn't want Genis to face the same fate.

"Keep your voice down!" Raine scolded, "We're getting close now, so we have to be quiet!" She took a moment to calm herself before adding, "I know you're worried about him... I am too. But we'll get him out of there."

When Raine said this, another thought struck Lloyd. "Professor... You're not thinking of joining them to free Genis, are you?"

"If it comes to that, I'll have no choice," Raine admitted softly after a brief moment of silence.

"There's got to be another way." Lloyd stated firmly, "And we'll find it. I'm not leaving until we're all together."

"Lloyd..." It was that moment that they spotted the clearing just outside of the old human ranch, and they both froze, slowly inching over to the edge of it.

One thing stood out to both of them like a sore thumb, "Genis!" Lloyd ran out from the safety of the trees to rescue his friend, who was frantically shaking his head 'no.'

"Lloyd, wait, it's a trap!" Raine called, but she knew it was already too late. Lloyd was now beside Genis, untying his gag to allow him to speak.

Coughing, Genis sputtered, "Lloyd, don't let Raine use magi-" He was cut off when the same cords that were holding Genis to the fence wrapped around Lloyd, pinning him against it as well. Lloyd, who had no reason to remain silent, screamed in agony when his side slammed into the electricity that was now holding him in a tight embrace. The electricity's intensity had increased as the wires pulled Lloyd to the fence, making it even more painful for both of the boys. Wincing, Genis looked over at his sister, who was raising her staff. He wanted to call out to her, but he knew that if he opened his mouth, all that would escape would be a scream. It wasn't long before the Desians were pinning her to the ground.

"Let her go!" Genis finally yelled, unable to contain himself any longer. Lloyd turned his head slightly just in time to see Raine being dragged across the grass towardsthem. What hurt him the most was not that there was not that there was nothing he could do to help her, as would usually be the case, but rather that it was his own fault. "Lloyd," Genis mumbled, getting the brunette's attention immediately. "Can you move your left hand?"

After testing this, he replied, "Yeah, why?"

"Give me your exsphere. We can't let the Desians have it." Genis replied, forcing his own hand to inch closer to Lloyd's.

"If I don't have it, won't it be easy to assume you do? You and Raine were the only ones near me." Lloyd pointed out.

"I know, but I have an idea. Just trust me on this one, okay?" Genis looked back at Lloyd, his expression conveying nothing but sincerity.

"I trust you, Genis..." Lloyd's hand slipped closer to Genis's and he allowed the half-elf to remove the exsphere and hold it tightly. Really, Lloyd didn't know why Genis had asked for his trust... Genis had already shown Lloyd that he was a trustworthy and loyal friend. Still, Lloyd was confused... What was Genis planning?

* * *

Yes, what IS Genis planning?


End file.
